Oscar Winners' Missteps: Smart Actors, Foolish Choices
Filed under: Awards, Oscar Watch, Hold the 'Fone
"Oscar winner." The two words together carry a certain noble cachet, as if anyone anointed with an Academy Award is destined for nothing but the choicest, meatiest roles worthy of their thespian talent.
But it doesn't always work out that way. Exhibit A: Eddie Murphy -- who hasn't won the Oscar for best supporting actor yet, but he's the odds-on favorite. Fresh off the heels of his electrifying, Oscar-nominated turn as fading R&B singer James "Thunder" Early in Dreamgirls, Murphy's got a new movie out, Norbit, in which he plays ... um, let's see if I've got this right ... a skinny geek AND the obese beeyotch he's bullied into marrying. (He's got a third role, too, as "Mr. Wong." I shudder to think.) I think it's safe to say that come next year, Murphy won't be bounding up to the podium to accept an Oscar for this particular film.
Now, I'm not knocking Eddie Murphy. The man's a comic genius, and audiences sure do love him in a fat suit. Besides, I'm guessing Norbit was in the can well before Dreamgirls even came out, so it's not as if Murphy had any say as to when it would be released. But that's Hollywood: One minute you're picking out your outfit for the Oscars ceremony, the next you're in drag, wearing a size 22 wedding dress.
And that made me wonder: What about Oscar winners past? Surely, whether through missed opportunity, financial need or plain ol' bad luck, at least some other winners (not to mention nominees) have found themselves in the embarrassing position of promoting a cheeseball film while the Oscar laurels were still fresh. And boy, was I right. Let's take a look, shall we?
Shirley MacLaine
Won for: Terms of Endearment (Best Actress, 1984)
Next Role: Bogus nun from "The Order of Immaculate Chastity" in Cannonball Run II
· Fun Fact: This was MacLaine's second turn as a fake nun, her first being as a hooker-with-a-habit in Two Mules for Sister Sara. Hey, whatever works for you, Shirley.
Louise Fletcher
Won for: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Best Actress, 1976)
Next Role: Psychiatrist in The Exorcist II: The Heretic
· Horror and sci-fi ended up being better to Fletcher than Oscar was; she's spent much of her movie career showing up in films like Firestarter and Flowers in the Attic. Well, it makes sense -- Nurse Ratched always was scarier than most movie monsters.
Jamie Foxx
Won for: Ray (Best Actor, 2005)
Next Role: Navy pilot in Stealth
· From Cinematical's own Scott Weinberg, via eFilmCritic.com: "Frankly ... this movie made me kind of sick."
Lou Gossett Jr.
Won for: An Officer and a Gentleman (Best Supporting Actor, 1983)
Next Role: Some guy named Calvin in Jaws 3-D
· Gossett hasn't had much luck since his Oscar-winning performance, though we eagerly await the release -- c'mon, it's gotta happen someday -- of Iron Eagle V.
Liza Minnelli
Won for: Cabaret (Best Actress, 1973)
Next Role: Cabaret singer (!!) in Lucky Lady
· From All Movie Guide: "The general level of wit is exemplified by Liza Minnelli's comment at one point that it's so quiet 'you can hear a fish fart.'"
Charlize Theron
Won for: Monster (Best Actress, 2004)
Next Role: Hedonistic socialite in Head in the Clouds
· From Owen Gleiberman in Entertainment Weekly: "Stuart Townsend, Theron's reallife boyfriend, may have inner fires as an actor that have yet to be revealed, but in Head in the Clouds he's a somber puppy who looks as if Theron could eat him alive. I wish she had."
Gwyneth Paltrow
Won for: Shakespeare in Love (Best Actress, 1999)
Next Roles: Marge in The Talented Mr. Ripley, karaoke-singing daughter of Huey Lewis in Duets, widow who falls for then-boyfriend Ben Affleck in Bounce
· OK, so I cheated with this one a little, but I couldn't resist. Duets? Bounce? Even though they came out almost a year after Shakespeare, it still sounds like somebody might've been wearing a pair of Bad Idea Jeans. And she followed those up with Shallow Hal -- what is it with Oscar nominees/winners and fat suits?
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Won for: Jerry Maguire (Best Supporting Actor, 1997)
Next Roles: Art-dealer agent in As Good As It Gets, angel in What Dreams May Come, psychologist in Instinct, ice cream truck driver who must save the world from chemical destruction in Chill Factor
· Yes, I'm cheating again; As Good As It Gets was a good movie, even though Gooding's part in it was small. (And how ironic that I just used "good" three times in the same sentence.) But then came a spectacular, even legendary string of clunkers -- some you've never heard of (In the Shadows, End Game), and some you've heard of for all the wrong reasons (Boat Trip, Snow Dogs). Gooding's most recent film? Why, a little comedy called ... Norbit. Aaaaand we've come full circle. For Eddie Murphy's sake, I hope he stayed far, far away from Gooding's dressing room. Bad Oscar mojo is really tough to shake.
Got any more ill-advised/unlucky follow-up roles to add? Post away.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-08-2007 @ 11:26PM
Patty said...
Halle Berry (2001's Best Actress for Monster's Ball) and Catwoman. What else needs to be said?
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2-09-2007 @ 8:33AM
Eric said...
Great article - though it should have been longer, you should get more editorial space Patricia, especially among the drivel thats usually on this site...though I read it regularly. I do have my complaints...The Talented Mr. ripley? Come now. Thats a decent enough film eh?
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2-09-2007 @ 9:52AM
Steve said...
In Jamie's defense (and maybe the defense of others on this list), he didn't sign on to Stealth after winning the Oscar. As I heard, the movie had been sitting on the shelf for a year or so before the studio decided to jump on the suddenly marketable name.
Having a bad movie come out after you've won is different than signing on to a bad movie after you've won (Angelina [Tomb Raider] and Halle [Catwoman] prime examples). I'm sure shooting on Norbit had wrapped long before Dreamgirls even saw a release date.
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2-09-2007 @ 10:11AM
m.white said...
I guess some people have forgotten that comedy is what made murphy a star in the first place, I personally think that he is a great actor and should be recognized as a great actor no matter what roll he plays, an oscar might be nice, but at least he's playing rolls in which he knows that all his audience will enjoy.
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2-09-2007 @ 12:36PM
Jim Kosmicki said...
I guess I have no taste -- I thought Duets was a decent enough little ensemble film. Sure, it hit most of the cliches in the right places, but for the most part, it worked. Probably because most of the actors were pretty solid, and Huey Lewis' turn was very nice.
but I agree with the earlier poster -- Halle Berry definitely takes the cake for worst choice -- especially since she interviewed so much about how great of a role and choice it was!!
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2-09-2007 @ 1:06PM
melissa said...
i havent seen dreamgirls...maybe im the only person on the planet who has no desire to either...
but if eddies work in it is worthy of an oscar, he should get it. but i will say, when i think of eddie murphy, i dont think of oscar winning performances.
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2-09-2007 @ 1:15PM
Hannah said...
Personally, while I thought Eddie Murphy did a good job in Dream Girls, I did not think it was an Oscar winning performance. The others who are nominated were as good or better in their performances than him. I believe that Djimon Hounsou deserves the oscar - he made me believe that the story was really happening to him. Eddie Murphy is funny and is talented, but there are so many other performances in the past and in the present that qualified as best supporting actor. It was great that he received a nomination, but I do hope that there is a different winner with all respect to Mr. Murphy.
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2-09-2007 @ 1:26PM
GameShoWia said...
How about Julie Andrews? She won a sympathy Oscar for "Mary Poppins" when she didn't get the role of Eliza Doolittle in the film version of "My Fair Lady," a role she had performed on Broadway and in London hundreds of times. Although she graces anything she's in, her only real hit movies were "The Sound of Music," (Oscar nominated) "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "Victor/Victoria," (Oscar nominated), and more recently, "The Princess Bride" movies. Do you remember "Star," "Duet," "SOB," "Darling Lilie," etc.? She was in "10," but let's face it, that wasn't a star vehicle for her, it was a star vehicle for Bo Derek's hair. And boobs.
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2-09-2007 @ 1:29PM
jamaicangurle said...
NORBIT IS HILARIOUS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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2-09-2007 @ 1:29PM
radjr said...
Good article...but there's nothing wrong with Shallow Hal or Gwyneth's work in it.
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2-09-2007 @ 1:30PM
GameShoWia said...
Oh, one more thing. Joke of the decade: During her Oscar acceptance speech, Halle Berry sobbingly putting herself in the same category as Dorothy Dandgridge, Dianne Carroll and LENA HORNE!!! Puh-leeze! Not even close.
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2-09-2007 @ 1:43PM
John said...
Back in the 80's when Eddie Murphy had left SNL to do movies, then returned to guest host he explained his why he did the god awful movie "Best Defense".
He said" I know Best Defense sucked, but for the money they were paying me, you all would have made Best Defense, too."
And Micheal Caine once said "I have never seen Jaws 3, but I have seen the house in the Bahamas that it allowed me to buy and it's quite lovely".
The taxes on multi-million dollar properties are large so sometimes a movie's quality takes a back seat to it's paycheck when a role is being considered. Sometimes acting is a "craft" that can inspire millions sometimes it's a job that pays the bills.
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2-09-2007 @ 1:47PM
craig said...
You really can't go by "Oscar" the timeing is often wrong, actors being passed up for great performances and then compensated later for poor ones...case in point..Al Pacino should have won for"Dog Day Afternoon" compensated for the terrible"Scent Of A Woman" Paul Newman should have won for "The Verdict" compensated for the the awful "Color Of Money" etc. etc. And "Titanic" one of the worst films from an acting stand point I had ever seen.
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2-09-2007 @ 1:49PM
Manda said...
As far as Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s movies are concerned after his Oscar win for Jerry Maguire... What Dreams May Come is one of the best movies, I've ever seen. Makes me cry everytime I see it... I love Robin Williams in it too.
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2-09-2007 @ 2:03PM
P said...
I think that winning an Oscar should never be the goal of an actor and/or director!!! The goal should be to always entertain and to display ones art!!! Too many movies have won an Academy Awards that, frankly, were completely undeserving. Perhaps the public should start demanding that other genres (such as comedy & horror) be allowed to be nominated as well. I would love to have seen movies like "Wedding Crashers" get recognition because it was very entertaining & well scripted.
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2-09-2007 @ 9:25PM
Jan Hunter said...
I am really disappointed in black men who demean black women. I only hope that no one goes to see this movie. I enjoy comedy as well as the next person but at the expense of some one else excuse me.
If it hurts his "supporting" roll for Dreamgirls then it will be a lesson for him
Jan Hunter
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2-10-2007 @ 3:28PM
slpk said...
Some one should tell Eddie that their are other comedians looking for work. I think Cuba was better in the movie radio than he was in Jerry Maguire
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2-09-2007 @ 6:48PM
Craig Hickman said...
Halle Berry did not put herself in the same league as Diahann Carol or Dorothy Dandridge. And she didn't even mention Lena Horne. She did, however, mention Cicely Tyson, if my memory is correct.
What Halle did, however, was pay respect to the Black actresses who paved her way, but who were never lucky enough to win the Academy Award for Best Actress when they were nominated.
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2-09-2007 @ 6:48PM
Craig Hickman said...
As for Eddie, his multi-part signature character turns in comedies from "Coming to America" to "The Nutty Professor" are nothing short of brilliant. In the case of "Nutty Professor" I thought his work was, in fact, award worthy.
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2-10-2007 @ 11:49AM
Mary said...
Another point worth remembering: some actors post-Oscar win suddenly find themselves burdened with contractual obligations to the execs or studio heads who gave the greenlight to cast them.
Paltrow did "Shallow Hal" and "View From the Top" for Miramax; in one interview she alluded to these choices as payment to Harvey Weinstein for giving her the role of the muse in "Shakespeare in Love" for which Miramax's mighty P.R. machine helped push her to Oscar winning status.
Edward Norton was unknown when Paramount's casting director lobbied to cast him as the altar boy accused of murder in "Primal Fear." Paramount wasn't inclined to give such a prominent role to an unheard of actor (They originally wanted DiCaprio). The studio finally agreed with the stipulation that if the film was a hit, Norton would owe Paramount future services in several more films. "Primal Fear" did terrific business and Norton scored an Oscar nomination. However, Norton didn't care much for the scripts Paramount sent his way. After a few years of wrangling, studio execs pushed the issue of the contract and the possibility of a lawsuit if Norton did not commit to a project within the year. The actor finally took the role of the villain in "The Italian Job," a film he would normally not bother to get involved with.
I'm sure there are other examples like these, but those are the two I've heard of.
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